The Smell of Fear: An Integrated Approach to Understanding Chemical Predator Cues

几十年来，生物学家已经观察到，许多水生动物在发现水中的捕食者时会改变它们的行为和形态。 猎物可以确定哪些捕食者与它们一起在水中，有多少捕食者在水中，以及捕食者在吃什么。 猎物之所以能做到这一点，是因为它们能闻到捕食过程中发出的化学信号。 然而，生物学家对这些化学物质的分子组成几乎一无所知。 在这个提议中，我们试图确定猎物用来检测捕食者的化学物质，并了解不同类型的化学线索如何改变猎物的行为和形态。

For decades, biologists have observed that many aquatic animals alter their behavior and morphology when they detect predators in the water. Prey can determine which predators are in the water with them, how many predators are in the water, and what the predators are eating. Prey are able to do this because they can smell the chemical cues that are given off during predation. However, biologists know almost nothing about the molecular composition of these chemicals. In this proposal, we seek to identify the chemicals that prey use to detect predators and to understand how different types of chemical cues alter prey behavior and morphology.